TravelPod Member ReviewsThe Lotus Garden Puerto Viejo

“ Big rooms, good service ,easy improvements could sort this place out ”

Reviewed Apr 23, 2014

by mothman (29 reviews) Brighton , United Kingdom

We read some mixed stuff regarding the location, but do not fear it is not kilometres from the centre of town. The sea is basically across the road (not that you would want to swim in it there) and it is a 5 to 10 minute walk to the amenities of town, but it is not stop shops, restaurants etc on the way so you are not in the middle of nowhere. There is a good Soda just across the road which does well priced and tasty cakes.

Bike rental place a few minutes out of town and we would recommend the cycle to Punta Uva for a few dollars.

We were greeted by the owners who were friendly and helpful, showing us the sloth etc.

We took advantage of a promotion and got a air con room for $5 cheaper than normal. We also saw the non-air con rooms which are much further back from the pool/reception area and not as well decorated. The paving slabs were very slippery in the rain, so perhaps having to walk more on these would be an issue; however we felt that for the increase in money the air con rooms were not really worth the price.

This was one of the more expensive rooms we had in Costa Rica and was not one of the best, however it was fine. The room looked good, but there was a damaged floor which could easily injure someone. I stuffed it with paper to reduce risk of injury, but housecleaning removed this. Big whirlpool bath looked good, but only shower part worked, and there was no shower curtain. We suspect this is where the cockroaches came from as we had a daily visit despite killing the ones that came. We did see cockroaches in one other hotel on our trip and understand this is the tropics. Sink was on a kind of ledge which meant washing was more difficult than it should be as you couldn't get your feet close to the base of sink. There was also no towel/mat provided by the shower which only added to the water woes.

No wardrobe, however the bed frame came in very useful for hanging towels, wet clothes etc. I am not sure this was its intended purpose but it sure came in useful.

Mattress was probably worse we came across in our trip and springs could be felt through it, pillow was also too thin so I had to use a t-shirt for head support. However bed was a good size and sleep was ok except the final night where loud music from a bar kept one of us awake til the early hours.

We had no humidity issues and the air con was very useful.

Doors to balcony were not the easiest to open.

The aforementioned paving slabs in a guadi-esque style were pretty but potentially lethal in the rain.

Only place we stayed on this trip that did not provide breakfast of any sort, and when combined with the fairly high price I think better value needs to be achieved. All that needs to be provided is bread and jam and that is the breakfast tick done and brings hotel more in line with competitors.

Like other places in Costa Rica no mosquito nets were provided which we find odd.

Pool and gardens nice.

My comments may all sound a bit negative, but in general this place is above average for the money (based on searches on internet, I did not check out alternatives whilst actually in Puerto Viejo), and has a lot of potential, but it all feels a bit style over substance.. Recommended though.

This review is the subjective opinion of a TravelPod member and not of TravelPod.com.

TripAdvisor Reviews The Lotus Garden Puerto Viejo

Very Good

Travel Blogs from Puerto Viejo

Used Caribe Tour shuttle servie to get from Bocas to Puerto Viejo. This cost $32 on internet in advance (in addition to $3 exit tax). Could have saved $5 each by booking direct in Bocas (from little desk by main pier).

Service was good for the money, although not as organised as I would have liked and still left us thinking what do we do …

... place to relax and hang around thus giving us some nice photo opportunities. A lot different from the other sloths we had seen before as some wooly balls of fur in a tree. It also made a nice New Year’s card! Next stop was San José, the capital of Costa Rica. Our first big city since a long time. Not the prettiest of cities but as it was around Christmas time it had quite a nice atmosphere with street markets and food stalls. The old theater is ...

... a young child, no older than 12 working with his father collecting leaves, the boy pointed them to a sloth on the ground and told Frank about it. Dan couldn't believe his luck and went round to see her, and there was a baby as well! Sloth's aren't very intelligent so she was trying to fit through a gap far too small for her, but when they went around she decided to climb up instead. Before this Dan wanted to help, and pick her up, but the boy said she's got herself in there ...

Today we arrived in the small sea side town of Puerto Viejo on the Caribbean coastline of Costa Rica. We were instantly in love!!! The vibe, the people, the water colour and the culture were all so different from the Pacific Coast. Fresh coconuts lay everywhere, Rastas with their Jamaican dreadlock styled hair were on every street corner doing their best to sell u their 'ganja' and surf schools and boats tours lined the shores. All of this, mixed and displayed with ...